Motorcycles, especially those used for touring or commuting, have been provided with various designs of shields, deflectors, or fairings to protect the rider or cyclist against wind, water, dirt, and insects. The flow of air, particularly when traveling at high speeds, creates a tiring effect on the rider. With the engine of a motorcycle being mounted midway on the frame, and being exposed, heat from the engine can provide some discomfort to the rider. Therefore, in some instances, shields or deflectors have been designed to direct air toward or across the engine to provide a cooling effect. Thus, the general purpose of the use of shields or deflectors on a motorcycle has been to provide added comfort and safety for the rider.
Generally, the shields or deflectors in use or proposed in the prior art are relatively expensive and/or tend to be heavy, or bulky, and furthermore can be hazardous. Some shields are attached to the handlebars of the bike, or close to them, and therefore tend to interfere with seeing and steering. A windshield, mounted on, and extending above the handlebars of a motorcycle, is a somewhat common add-on, which helps to protect the rider's face from the wind. Even with a windshield, however, there is strong air turbulence under the windshield.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,315, there is shown a fairing comprised of a first section extending the breadth of the handlebars, a second section (windshield) extending above the handlebars for shielding the rider's face, and a third section extending downwardly on opposite sides of the front fork. The bottom section is provided with vents for directing cooling air toward the motorcycle engine and the cyclist.
A cowling assembly or fairing utilizing a windshield in combination with air inlets and outlets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,494. Air is directed upwardly and away from the rider's head.
An air cooling shield for motorcycles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,412,634. Two or more shields are attached to both sides of the motorcycle, and are inclined downwardly and so arranged that the forward edge of the first shield is positioned at a lower level than the forward edge of the second shield. The shields direct air onto the cylinders of the engine, thereby providing a cooling effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,890 discloses a pair of leg shields mounted on each side of the crash bar of a motorcycle. Each shield is generally planar but curved convexly at the top and outer side to provide a lifting force to the shield.
German patent application P27262448, published Dec. 12, 1978, to Kreidler, discloses a motorcycle fairing consisting of an upper cover 1 (having a depending segment from the windshield that lies essentially in a horizontal plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bike) and leg cover 5 (which is essentially horizontally disposed and parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bike). The steering cover and leg cover overlap at 6 and 8, thereby forming a small air column. The planar surfaces of covers 6 and 8 that form this overlap, however, lie in a vertical plane and extend essentially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bike. Further the two overlapping sections are concentrically arranged, and are concentric to the axis of the fork, so that upon turning, section 6 turns within the arc of section 8. This cover arrangement appears to be unduly large, and the foot peg is restricted to a rearward position.
The applicant has recognized that the shields or fairings disclosed in the prior art are cumbersome, or expensive, or have a high vertical dimension that can interfere with seeing or steering, such as a conventional type windshield used in combination with deflectors or air vents to provide a cooling effect or to protect the rider against wind, water, dirt, etc. In response thereto, the applicant has in the past developed an improved deflector for a motorcycle. That improved deflector is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,171 issued on Mar. 28, 2000 to the applicant.
Recognizing that further improvements could be made in the design, assembly and mounting of deflectors for motorcycles, the applicant has invented and developed a deflector for motorcycles which provides such further improvements.
The present invention has, therefore, as its purpose to provide a deflector to protect the rider against wind pressure that overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art. The deflector of the present invention is more effective in protecting the rider against wind pressure, while at the same time offering less wind resistance, which lessens the load on the motorcycle engine. The deflector of the present invention directs the wind downward and away from the rider, such that the rider is exposed to little if any under the deflector turbulence. Further, the angular position of the deflector is adjustable, so as to provide the wind deflection which the rider considers most desirable.
It is another purpose or object of the invention to provide a deflector for substantially reducing the flow of air against the rider so as to overcome its tiring effect especially at high speeds.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a deflector for use in combination with a conventional type windshield to substantially reduce or eliminate underscreen turbulence.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a deflector that is relatively inexpensive, aesthetically pleasing, and simple to mount.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a deflector that will enhance the comfort and safety of the rider.